"Take it easy on Tony, alright guys?" Steve asks in a whisper to his team members, knowing that Tony is going to wake up soon.
Thor booms as he speaks, unfortunately for them all he doesn't know what 'inside voice' means and none of them have gotten through to him on that subject. "WHY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH MAN OF IRON?"
"Please, Thor," Steve face-palms, his frustration clear at the Norse god's inability towards volume control. "He's a little on-edge, after what happened with Pepper, and I just think-"
"You think what, Stevey-poo?" Tony asks, letting his voice overpower Steve trying to stutter over apologies. "It's not any of your faults that Pepper left me after encouraging me to destroy my life's supply of superhero gadgets and ran off with one of my oldest friends! Rejoice at the fact you aren't me. And, if any of you would mind, tell Steeb here he is not my babysitter."
"He's drunk again, isn't he?" Bruce asks to Steve, watching as Tony sways before falling half onto the couch and half onto the Captain's lap.
"This isn't drunk – it's hangover behavior for him," Steve clarifies, looking over at Tony. "Don't puke on me this time, alright?"
Tony nods, leaning his head into Steve's chest and making himself comfortable there. "Thank you, Steeb. Can I have some painkillers?"
Steve nods towards Bruce, who is more than happy to go to the kitchen and grab some. "I would get them myself, but you've got me caged in here."
"Speaking of caged in, what's that thing you have going with Natasha?" Tony asks, sitting up for a minute, holding the side of his head with a hand, as if it would spin off its hinges if he didn't.
"How did you even know about that?" Steve asks carefully, grabbing the supplies from Bruce and helping Tony hold the cup through shaky hands and take his medicine. "Are we going to have to send you to rehab after this?"
"No, Steve, I am NOT an alcoholic – I'm just in break-up mode," Tony replies after the pills have been popped. "And stop trying to change the subject. I know because What Does the Hawk Say has been glaring at you every time you walk in a room."
"Clint has no reason to glare at me. He knows that I am not the reason things ended between him and Natasha. It was clearly at the fault of Bobbi," Steve responds as he helps Tony to sit up normally.
Tony groans. "You are treating me like a child."
"You are acting like one, so expect the treatment," Steve replies as he goes on. "I am sure Clint is glad you haven't focused in on-"
"Who's BOBBY?" Thor asks. "HAS HAWK MAN FOUND A MALE MATE?"
Clint sighs. "No, Bobbi Morse is most definitely not any man."
"You are with – can, can I fanboy a bit?" Tony asks mockingly. "I mean they are just two birds of a nest. Hawkeye and Mockingbird, that, that is the stuff of legends!"
"Things are going well, not that any of you fuckers actually ask about my life," Clint mutters under his breath, getting up and walking out of the room, passing Natasha and giving her a half-assed smile as he leaves.
Natasha walks in for a moment. "Steve, boys, how is everyone today?"
Steve looks up at Natasha with an earnest smile. "I can't account for everyone else, but I am doing just fine."
"Thanks, at least, to you," Natasha says with a grin. "I was just coming by to give you a quick peck before running off to train Bucky some more. He's been having some difficulty, I am sorry about it."
"Naw, don't ever worry about it, anything you can do to help my best fri – what the heck are you doing, Tony?" Steve asks as Tony nudges Steve hard in the ribs. Not that it hurts, it's just frustrating.
"I thought I was your best friend," Tony says with a pout.
Steve chuckles as he moves his hand forward to wind in Tony's hair. "You are one of my best friends. Just like Bruce is one of yours."
"Are you saying I'm not your best friend?" Natasha asks jokingly.
Steve sighs. "You are my best female friend."
"I can live with that," Natasha says as she leans down to peck Steve once on the lips before standing back up with a big smile. "I must be off, have fun boys. Make sure Tony doesn't do anything stupid – or I may have to help him."
"Just go on, Bucky's waiting," Steve replies.
Natasha's happiness flows over more sincerely as she nods and runs off to meet Bucky. Bruce raises his eyebrow and looks to Steve. "You know, uh, I don't want to make this awkward but I think your girlfriend-?"
"Is in love with Bucky? I know," Steve responds slowly. "I am waiting for her to tell me, it is fine."
"Did he just," Tony says, running low on ability to think of words for this. "Does Captain the-70-year-old-virgin America have a better ability to cope with being left for a friend than me?" Everyone nods, and Tony groans. "Thanks jerkfaces. I am going to remember that one. Cappykins, why not the anger or cries? Why are you so calm and collected?"
"Because, before anything else, they are my best friends – and, to be honest, I am falling a little bit out of interest like that with her. I have my eyes on something a little better for me," Steve says with a grin, watching as the comment floats right over everybody's heads.
Natasha walks back in, Bucky by her side. "Steve, can we talk to you for a minute?"
"Anything you can say can be said in front of the group, Nat, I don't mind," Steve replies, reaching out and grabbing Tony's hand. He squeezes it for support. Tony looks at him with an earnest smile – Cap was reaching out to him, he needed someone more than he would let on. It was going to be an easy break, but he couldn't do it alone. Tony wraps his fingers around Steve's hand graciously, waiting with him for the two to take their seats.
Natasha sighs. "You already know what I am going to say, don't you?"
"I do," Steve replies kindly, choking back most emotions. "I just need to hear you say it, please."
Natasha smiles gently, thinking to reach out for Steve's hand. She sees it is already occupied and takes a deep breath. "I am in love with your best friend."
"Woah, you are in love with me?" Tony asks jokingly, earning a laugh from the whole room – graciously including Steve. "I am sorry, but I am too in love with someone else and I can't take your hand in marriage at this time."
Natasha shakes her head, looking to Steve. "You know I mean Bucky, right?"
"I do. And it is okay, I quite like him. It's not like you are leaving me for Tony or something, that would hurt," Steve says slowly, earning a particularly hard play-punch in the ribs from Tony. "Nat, Bucky – I give you my blessing. As long as you both stick around as my friends, all right?"
Bucky chuckles softly. "Wouldn't leave you for the world, buddy."
"Now you go off somewhere that isn't here so I don't have to listen to the next part," Steve says kindly. Tony laughs so hard he thinks he is going to fall off the couch. Natasha kicks Steve in the shin playfully before taking Bucky along and doing as told.
Tony sighs. "Now I am going to take you out." Tony leans up to whisper in Steve's ear, and momentarily Steve wishes his friend knew just so he knew how much the heavy breathing on his ear was affecting him. "I am going to tell them we are going to be mature men to go get drinks, but I am going to take you to get ice cream, alright? I think we both deserve it."
Steve smiles and nods towards Tony, knowing to put on a good façade for the group. "I guess a few drinks couldn't really hurt."
*An Hour Later, the Ice Cream Parlor*
Steve sits across from Tony at a fifties-style diner table, laughing. "I love this place, you know. It's very nice, and the music isn't bad."
"I figured you might think that," Tony replies, taking another slow lick of his ice cream before speaking again. "I don't love the music, but I knew you would love the atmosphere. What we do for love, right?"
Steve almost chokes on a lick of ice cream. "What…I mean, excuse me, I mean…uh, what?"
"You are my best friend, even though you are incredibly daft at times like these," Tony replies. He sees it, Steve tries to hide the disappointed look as soon as it comes but Tony catches it. "Why, were you hoping I meant another thing?"
"I, uh," Steve takes another lick of his ice cream, licking around the whole damn thing before realizing its dripping down onto his fingers. He's smashed the damn cone in his hand under the pressure, and he can't recall feeling this embarrassed in a long time. "I need to make less of a mess of myself, sincerely. Sorry."
Tony laughs softly, watching the flush rise on Steve's face. "Come with me, you ridiculous soldier boy." Tony holds a hand under Steve's as he leads the man to the bathroom and shuts the door behind them. He puts Steve's hands under the sink and starts helping him wash away the sticky mess. "It's alright, you know, you don't have to be embarrassed."
"About the ice cream – I thought that is what the washing was for," Steve tries to amend.
Tony sighs. "No. I meant about having a crush on me. It's probably fleeting anyways, it happens – it is fine, really. I just don't want to get into that with you, and I don't want to offend you."
"Oh," Steve says softly, barely hearing the end of the reply as the soldier tries to maintain holding back his emotions.
"Fuck, Steve, I didn't mean," Tony replies as he washes the last bits of crumbs off of Steve's hands. "I want you. God, fuck, yes – what idiot in their right mind wouldn't want you? It's not just that."
"What is it then?" Steve asks in a very quiet voice.
"I don't want you to hate me, or run off with someone else, or decide one day I am just not the right one. I don't want to risk losing you, and I don't want just some stupid one-off when it's you – because it is you, my stud-muffin best friend for life, and I can't lose that," Tony replies earnestly before turning to walk away.
Steve grabs Tony's arm and pulls him back to look at him. "For the record, you wouldn't lose me." Steve lets his grip drop from Tony's arm and walks back into the restaurant's dining area.
When Tony reaches the table again, sliding this time into the seat beside Steve so they can whisper, he watches the soldier dumbfounded. "You, wow, I mean – you mean that?"
"The fact that you are acting so surprised about that part bothers me," Steve whispers back into Tony's ear, reaching his arm to snake around Tony's waist as he leans in closer. "What part in your right mind tells you that I would ever be able to let you go?"
"This is a little, uh, we've never even been on a date before," Tony says shakily, cursing himself more in his mind than in any other way.
"Since when has actually waiting for the dating bit worked in either of our lives," Steve replies slowly.
"What happened to the man who didn't know the difference between fondue and sex?" Tony asks in a smaller whisper.
Steve smiles very brightly, very specifically. "He grew up." Steve plants a kiss on Tony's neck just below the ear, causing Tony to reach forward and grip the table as Steve increases his ministrations and starts nipping and sucking at it.
"Can I kiss you?" Tony breathes out.
Steve pulls away and looks at Tony's eyes. He doesn't wait for Tony to understand that he's trying to say yes with his eyes before bearing down himself and letting Tony kiss him by response, by instinct. It takes them a while for either of them to realize that they are, in fact, in public.
Tony moves back and slides out of the bench, keeping an infernal grip on Steve's hand as he leads him out of the restaurant and into his car. Neither of them make it to the front seat, it's really Steve pushing now as he topples on top of Tony in the backseat messily, limbs collapsing around each other and moving together.
But, this in fact was a first date, and they ended up not doing the deed. Mostly because neither of them had been prepared for the possibility, in any fashion, and Steve was kind of innocent.
Steve sits up in Tony's lap, panting. "I can't do this."
"Oh, I mean, sure…" Tony mutters as he sits up on his elbows. "Yeah, okay, I mean waiting is," Tony takes in a sharp breath, "good – better for the potential relationship thing."
"I want," Steve breathes deeply as he dives forward and lays on top of Tony's chest, arms twining together to hold his face up over Tony's, "I do want you, Tony, I just think…well, first of all, in the car?"
A/N: Author didn't think this through (I didn't) as to where it was going. All I know is it sparked from me getting frustrated at initial shots of Natasha & Steve and coming up with a solution and then…well…let me know if you want it continued!